News

Part 2: Which devices are 4GX compatible?

26/11/2014

Find out how and where to access 4GX. Sprout has mobile accessories and phone cases for the latest 4GX-enabled devices.

2015 will be the year of the lightning fast download. The 4GX network is being unveiled by Telstra early next year and is set to rival its competitors for coverage and speed. In our earlier post, the Sprout team explained “What is 4GX?”. Now you want to know where and how to access it.

For all you trend-setters out there, if your current Sprout phone case adorns the latest iPhone 6 or Galaxy S5, you’re already ahead of the game as these devices come 4GX-ready. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s get the whole picture.

Let’s talk more about compatibility

The first thing to note is that, even once the network has been launched country wide, it is not compatible with all devices just yet. Not many phones, tablets or internet hotspots currently support this frequency, so you might not be able to access it right away, even when the network is fully launched.

Compatibility is mainly available on more recent and high-end devices. These include some of the hottest new devices on the market, such as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the HTC One, and the Samsung Galaxy S5. If you're looking to invest in a new handset, purchasing one of these phones now will ensure you're 4GX ready when the network is actually rolled out.

While only a handful of devices currently support 4GX, this is expected to change as 4GX becomes more ubiquitous. As with all the previous connectivity options, more and more devices will be released over time that will support this new standard.

Early adopters will benefit the most

In the meantime, the scarcity of people being able to access this network while it's new will be good news for any early adopters. With fewer people vying for the same amount of bandwidth, you'll experience massively improved speeds as one of the first 4GX users. This will of course level out over time, as more and more people join the frequency. However, you can still expect much faster speeds than what is currently available on 4G.

People who shy away from using this new technology will also benefit from the latest mobile network frequency. As more and more people adopt 4GX, other bandwidths will be freed up, allowing for an improved experience.

Part of a bigger picture for Telstra

The unveiling of 4GX is actually part of Telstra's wider plan to combine this 700MHz frequency with the 1800MHz frequency in future, as part of their Next-Gen network. This will create the LTE-Advanced mobile network, which will further accelerate download speeds. Great news for those who have both 700MHz and 1800MHz frequencies available in their area.